Principal Data Scientist - Network & PI Analytics
UnitedHealth Group is a health care and well-being company dedicated to improving the health outcomes of millions around the world.
This role is located in Dublin, Ireland.
Make an impact with a diverse team that shares your passion for helping others.
About the Role
As a Principal Data Scientist on the UnitedHealthcare Network & Payment Integrity Analytics team, you'll play a key role in applying advanced analytics to lower the cost of healthcare for our members.
You'll lead high-impact projects, collaborate with senior stakeholders, and help drive innovation across provider networks and claims data platforms.
Primary Responsibilities
Build and deploy data science solutions, taking full ownership of projects and delivering measurable improvements in healthcare cost, quality, and access.
Write production-grade code and contribute directly to the development of big data systems, pipelines, tools and models.
Collaborate closely with business and technical leadership, acting as a strategic thought partner to shape the roadmap for provider networks, claims data, and member experience.
Triage AI and ML opportunities, define business requirements, and lead development of solutions aligned with strategic goals.
Mentor and elevate the data science team, conducting code reviews, setting technical standards, and fostering a culture of curiosity, rigor, and continuous learning.
Translate complex healthcare data into actionable insights.
Proactively surface emerging risks and opportunities, using anomaly detection, fraud analytics, and pattern recognition to inform strategic interventions.
Contribute to the evolution of data science infrastructure.
Represent the data science function in executive forums, clearly communicating technical insights and their strategic implications to influence decisions and investments.
Develop your understanding of healthcare and the U.S. healthcare system to ensure solutions are context-aware and impactful.
Required Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a quantitative field such as mathematics, statistics, computer science, actuarial science, engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent experience.
Deep expertise in SQL and Python/R with a strong track record of building data science solutions.
Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems through hands-on coding and model development.
Proven experience applying data science to real-world business challenges, driving measurable impact.
Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree, PhD in a quantitative field or relevant professional qualification.
Soft Skills
Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences and influence decision-making.
Leadership in collaborative, cross-functional settings, including mentoring and setting technical direction.
Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in Ireland.
Proof will be required to support your application.
At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone.
We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes.
Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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